Zhao Pan'er was still nervous: "Then what should I pay attention to? Will the officials and saints look down on me?"
"You are overthinking this. Our official family is actually quite kind. As for the Queen."
Zhou Chen's expression became a little more serious: "Whatever I say to you next, you must not spread it."
Seeing Zhou Chen being so serious, Zhao Pan'er also nodded solemnly: "Okay."
"Our Queen, I told you about the night banquet before, and you should have some understanding of her experience, but what I want to tell you is that the Queen is very resourceful and ambitious.
Jiji, now controls almost half of the forces in the DPRK and China, and she has been wooing me recently, but as a distinguished noble, I cannot stand on the side of the rear party, so I have never agreed."
"If you go to the palace and meet the queen, she will definitely try her best to trick you, or even win you over directly. I know this is difficult, but..."
Before Zhou Chen could finish speaking, Zhao Pan'er stretched out her finger and pressed it on Zhou Chen's mouth.
"I understand, Lord Marquis, don't worry, I am not that fragile. I have experienced life and death. Even if I face the Queen, I will not be timid."
Zhou Chen praised: "Well done, you are indeed my Pan'er. So what about the Queen? She is not necessarily better than our Pan'er."
Zhao Pan'er was startled and quickly covered Zhou Chen's mouth: "Don't talk nonsense, it will be troublesome if someone hears it."
"Yes, yes, Pan'er is right. In the future, you should always remind your officials." Zhou Chen kissed Zhao Pan'er's palm gently.
Zhao Pan'er rolled his eyes and said: "You know how to laugh at me. I don't seek glory in this life. As long as I can stay with Mr. Hou forever, live together for a long time, and see Mr. Hou every day when I open my eyes, I will
I am satisfied."
Zhou Chen scratched Zhao Pan'er's nose and said softly: "Yes, I'm afraid you'll get bored looking at it in the future."
"No, even if I look at Mr. Hou all my life, I will not feel bored, I will only feel happy."
Zhao Pan'er doesn't have many wishes. She has experienced a wealthy life and also experienced misery, so she desires happiness more than many people and desires to be with Zhou Chen forever.
A few days later, Zhou Chen took Zhao Pan'er to the palace. Within a few days, Zhao Pan'er had learned the court etiquette and put on her imperial attire when she went there.
After paying homage to the officials, Zhao Pan'er was called to the harem by Queen Liu Wan. Only the officials Zhao Heng and Zhou Chen were left in the palace, and even the servant Cui was arranged outside.
Looking at this posture, Zhou Chen knew that Zhao Heng must have something important to tell him.
As expected, Zhao Heng made a big move as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Zhou Qing, what do you think of Mr. Xiao?"
Zhou Chen looked stern and said in a deep voice: "I don't have many opportunities to interact with Xianggong Xiao, but the official's acceptance of Xianggong Xiao must be because they rely heavily on Xianggong Xiao's talents."
This nutritious answer naturally did not satisfy Zhao Heng.
"Qing Zhou, there are only two of us, the emperor and his ministers, in this palace. You don't have to worry. If you have anything to say, just say it."
"My lord, I obey the order."
What else could Zhou Chen say, he could only nod in agreement, but he made up his mind that no matter what Zhao Heng asked later, he would start Tai Chi.
Zhao Heng asked solemnly: "Do you think Mr. Xiao will be able to safely assist the prince a hundred years from now?"
"Well."
Zhou Chen was stunned for a moment. He never expected that Zhao Heng would ask him such a shocking question. He really didn't know how to answer.
"The official body is in good health and longevity is boundless..."
"Okay, don't say these useless things. You are a noble person, and I trust you more than Prime Minister Xiao."
Zhou Chen could only grit his teeth and reply: "Xiao Xiang is the pillar of the imperial court and will definitely assist the prince in governing the world."
Zhao Heng was a little disappointed and sighed: "The prince is young, I really can't worry about it, but you are right, Mr. Xiao is loyal and will never let me down."
Zhou Chen lowered his head. Judging from his appearance, he knew that Zhao Heng did not have many days left. Based on the official history, it was estimated that Zhao Heng's deadline would be within these few months.
No wonder Zhao Heng suddenly asked him this question, no wonder Queen Liu Wan asked him to bring Zhao Pan'er into the palace. They both probably wanted to test their attitudes. It seemed that in the minds of these two people, their weight was already quite heavy.
Zhao Heng asked a few more questions, including some involving the prince, but Zhou Chen answered them after careful consideration, fully demonstrating his loyalty to the court, his support for the prince, etc.
He knew very well that the closer the life was to the last moment, the more suspicious the emperor would be. Although the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty were rarely murderous, they still had to be cautious.
He had to be careful when dealing with the official Zhao Heng here. Zhao Pan'er in the harem would not be easy when facing the queen Liu Wan, so he couldn't help but worry about Pan'er.
…………
After waiting for a long time, Zhou Chen finally waited for Zhao Pan'er who was sent by the palace maid, and then quietly left the palace with Zhao Pan'er.
After getting on the carriage, Zhou Chen asked Zhao Pan'er: "Pan'er, are you okay? Did the Queen give you a hard time?"
Zhao Pan'er shook his head and said: "No, on the contrary, he is very enthusiastic. But you guessed it right, the empress has been testing me, and she even pretends to be close to her, so that I can go to the harem more in the future."
"As long as it doesn't embarrass you."
Zhou Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Liu Wan was ambitious and would listen to politics behind the curtain in the future and control the government for more than ten years. Although Zhao Pan'er was smart, he was definitely not as smart as Liu Wan.
So he asked Zhao Pan'er to tell him everything that happened in the harem. He knew that Liu Wan must also have the intention of letting Zhao Pan'er pass on the message. There were some things that were difficult to say to him, but it was easier to talk between women.
"Master Hou, did I say something wrong?" Zhao Pan'er asked nervously. She was afraid that she would say something wrong and cause trouble to Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen held her hand and said comfortingly: "No, you didn't say anything wrong."
Now it was Zhao Paner's turn to breathe a sigh of relief: "As long as you didn't say the wrong thing, that's fine."
Zhou Chen suddenly laughed: "Now you understand the meaning of what I said to you before. Marrying me actually requires taking a lot of risks. Sometimes every word and deed will be magnified by others. It's not like you are here."
When I was in Qiantang, I was free to do whatever I wanted, but there were too many rules in Tokyo, especially in the palace."
Zhao Pan'er knew that Zhou Chen was trying to comfort herself and said these words deliberately, and she felt very warm in her heart.
"Don't say that. Compared to what you brought to me, these are nothing. I don't understand many things now, but I can learn slowly."
She had heard some rumors about Zhou Chen and her. She didn't care about being said, but she couldn't accept it when others said bad things about Zhou Chen, so she took a breath in her heart and wanted to do a good job and let those people
Look, Zhou Chen made the right choice.
Zhou Chen gently hugged Zhao Pan'er into his arms and expressed his love and affection: "Pan'er, you are so kind."
"Master Hou, you are really good to me." Zhao Pan'er also hugged Zhou Chen tightly.
"You are my wife, of course I must treat you well."
"very nice."
This was Zhao Paner's first time going to the palace, and it had a great impact on her. It made her know that if she wanted to be a good wife of the Hou Mansion, she not only had to manage the Hou Mansion well, but also be cautious when outside.
, the confrontation between women in the harem backyard should not be underestimated. If you are not careful, it may cause problems and cause unnecessary trouble.
Late at night, Zhao Paner lay next to Zhou Chen.
She felt very happy to marry Zhou Chen. Zhou Chen was very kind to her and could satisfy everything she wanted.
But recently, her body has gradually begun to feel weak, because Zhou Chen's physical fitness is so strong, he is as strong as an ox, as if he can't feel tired, and he recovers very quickly.
She was very happy at first, but after all, her physical fitness was not as good as Zhou Chen's. It became difficult to get up the next day. As time went by, she became a little unbearable.
On the other hand, Zhou Chen, even if he works hard all night, he can still be energetic the next day.
Zhao Pan'er came out of Jiaofangsi very early. She had been hiding her clumsiness before, so she had no experience in this field at all. After she left Jiaofangsi, she only dated Ouyang Xu, and she was more in love than polite.
So before she met Zhou Chen, she was a well-behaved woman.
But after all, I have stayed in a place like Jiaofangsi for several years. Although I have not experienced those things, I still have some understanding of this kind of thing.
After marrying into the Hou family, Aunt Zhu told her some things in this regard in private, so she also knew that Zhou Chen was different from ordinary people in this aspect.
She doesn't quite understand. Is it because Zhou Chen has high martial arts skills, or is he really gifted?
But no matter what, since they got married, except for the occasional inconvenience, the two have always been inseparable.
Zhao Pan'er felt that if she continued like this, she would be useless sooner or later, so sometimes she had to refuse when facing Zhou Chen.
Originally she was worried that Zhou Chen would be unhappy, but Zhou Chen didn't care at all. Although sometimes they couldn't share the same room, he would still hold her to sleep every night, which made her feel particularly at ease.
"Pan'er, I may have to come back late tonight. Someone in the department is holding a banquet in the Jiaofang Department."
Zhou Chen said it calmly, and Zhao Pan'er didn't think there was a problem, and replied gently: "Then let Qin Yi follow?"
"good."
Zhao Pan'er tidied Zhou Chen's clothes and watched Zhou Chen leave.
She doesn't object to Zhou Chen's visit to Jiaofangsi. In this era, it is normal to go to Jiaofangsi to visit brothels. Especially many scholars are proud of it and often visit brothels and Jiaofangs.
Si Li's poems and lyrics are sometimes even passed down as a good story.
To be continued...